(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
Professional means relating to a person’s work, especially work that requires special training.
His ~ career started at Liverpool University.
ADJ: ADJ n
~ly
...a ~ly-qualified architect...
ADV: ADV -ed/adj, ADV with cl
2.
Professional people have jobs that require advanced education or training.
...highly qualified ~ people like doctors and engineers.
ADJ: ADJ n
•
Professional is also a noun.
My father wanted me to become a ~ and have more stability.
N-COUNT
3.
You use ~ to describe people who do a particular thing to earn money rather than as a hobby.
This has been my worst time for injuries since I started as a ~ footballer...
? amateur
ADJ
•
Professional is also a noun.
He had been a ~ since March 1985.
N-COUNT
~ly
By age 16 he was playing ~ly with bands in Greenwich Village.
ADV: ADV after v
4.
Professional sports are played for money rather than as a hobby.
...an art student who had played ~ football for a short time.
? amateur
ADJ: ADJ n
5.
If you say that something that someone does or produces is ~, you approve of it because you think that it is of a very high standard.
They run it with a truly ~ but personal touch.
? amateur
ADJ approval
•
Professional is also a noun.
...a dedicated ~ who worked harmoniously with the cast and crew.
N-COUNT
~ly
These tickets have been produced very ~ly.
ADV: ADV with v
6.
see also semi-~